Traditional dancers perform during Houby Days.

The Annual Houby Days festival kicks off Friday, May 16 and will run through Sunday, May 18, in Czech Village in Cedar Rapids. The annual spring festival celebrates the history and culture of Czech Village in Cedar Rapids. Houby (pronounced HOE-bee) is Czech for mushrooms. Gathering mushrooms is a traditional family activity for Czechs and Slovaks that begins every spring. Houby Days celebrates this Czech and Slovak tradition with family fun including music, games, activities, and more.

Saturday morning will begin with an egg and houby breakfast at Smugglers Wharf and a flag raising ceremony at the Kosek Bandstand by the Palo American Legion Post 679. Throughout the day, enjoy Czech music and traditional folk dance, artisan vendors, a plant sale, the carnival, and a car show. St. Wenceslaus Church will host a polka mass at 4 p.m. and a Pork and Dumpling dinner from 5–7 p.m. The Beaker Brothers Band will headline the Kosek Bandstand on Saturday evening.

Sunday is Kids’ Day beginning at 11 a.m. There will be children’s games and crafts, cabbage roll races, the Hawkeye Pedal Pull, and the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company. An all ages costume walk begins on the NCSML steps at 3 p.m.